One Last Love
by Bane of All the World
Summary: In the wake of Hawkgirl's betrayal and the failed Thanagarian invasion, the Justice League is busy rebuilding and moving forward. Wonder Woman feels her attraction toward Batman growing stronger and tries to get closer. But can she withstand Batman's dark enemies and darker history when they threaten to tear the Justice League and the world apart?
1. The Death of Love

Diana sighed, staring out the massive window where the Earth slowly revolved in space. It had been a little less than a month since Hawkgirl had resigned from the League. It had been less than an hour since the new Watchtower was made barely livable. Sixty seconds after that Batman had left. Diana couldn't even see his ship, only the faintest trace of the pale blue fire of the engine.

Hawkgirl's betrayal had hit the team hard. Superman spent his time in a state of constant work to keep his mind off of it. J'onn was quieter than ever. Green Lantern refused to talk about what had happened, but she saw him staring out into space every once in a while and knew by the pain in his eyes that this was killing him.

For her part Diana was trying not to think about the traitor; just hearing Hawkgirl's name made her blood boil. Her rage was made worse when she found that Steve Trevor, the man who had captured her heart in WWII, had died just after the Thanagarian invasion; apparently the stress of the invasion had accelerated his heart condition. Attending his funeral was one of the hardest things she had ever had to do, her grief intensified by her inability to confide in her mother or Hawkgirl about it.

Batman hadn't changed much, at least not that Diana had seen. Perhaps he was a little more reclusive but not noticeably so. Diana began to walk down the hall of the new Watch Tower to her room. Since Batman had crashed the original Watchtower into the Thanagarian hyper-space bypass, he had allowed J'onn and Diana to stay at Wayne Manor with him. This was Diana's first night in the new Watchtower. It didn't have the same homey feel as the original, or of Wayne Manor for that matter. Diana stood on the threshold of her room for only a moment before turning back and wandering down the hall.

Diana missed Alfred, Bruce Wayne's charming elderly butler. Initially she had been surprised and slightly repulsed to learn that Bruce had a slave, but during her stay at Wayne Manor Diana had come to realize that Alfred did what he did out of love for Bruce and for Bruce's now deceased family and Bruce let Alfred care for him and the property because it made Alfred happy, fulfilled Alfred's sense of purpose. And Alfred had been delighted to have more company in Wayne Manor. The venerable old man insisted on cleaning her and J'onn's rooms and making them dinner, rolling over their attempts to help.

She missed Batman even more, though truthfully she had seen much more of Alfred during her stay at Wayne Manor. Bruce had made sure to spend as little time at home as possible when she and J'onn were staying there. Not that he made her feel unwelcome— Bruce had welcomed his teammates into his home with open arms, dismissing J'onn's and Diana's attempts to keep their stay as inconspicuous as possible. Every day Bruce was out of the house to work at Wayne Enterprises or on putting the new Watchtower into orbit. If he came home at all it was invariably late at night, and Batman would leave again at once to either patrol Gotham or help the League with a mission.

Diana had assumed his constant work schedule was normal, and Alfred assured her that Batman often slept for about four hours every two days under normal circumstances, less if he was particularly busy. And no one in the League was idle during that time; Diana herself had grown accustomed to working fourteen hours at a time. But Batman was going to extremes even Superman found impressive. One day the Man of Steel had even told her to drag Batman out of the cave and make sure he hadn't been replaced with a robot. Diana had gone along with the joke, thinking a touch of humor might help his gloominess. No such luck. She had to give Batman credit: she hadn't seen anyone react that quickly. Diana rubbed her wristband, recalling the Batarang striking cold metal before it detonated.

Batman's moodiness concerned her, though Diana wasn't entirely sure why. Her thoughts kept coming back to that shared kiss in the Middle Eastern restaurant. What had started as a clever idea on Diana's part had begun to feel different as the seconds rolled into minutes. When she had pulled away, a part of her had wanted to move in again. And she couldn't forget Bruce's little smile after she apologized and his coy, "Don't be."

A yawn interrupted her musings. She realized that it was late and she had wandered far away from her room. Grumbling, Diana began to trudge back to her room.

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"Wonder Woman, Star Sapphire has escaped from prison— again. I need you down by the Metropolis pier, warehouse 12— now." Superman's voice interrupted her hour off in Central City. Diana pressed her hand to the com link, waiting for a second to see if he had anything else to say.

"I'm on my way. What about the others?" She responded curtly once it was clear he had said his peace, already beginning the flight to Metrapolis.

"GL is with me. He already contacted Flash. J'onn is one his way."

"And Batman?"

"I had his com link turned off remotely. I don't want anyone to contact him today."

"Why?" She asked, bemused.

"Today is, I mean, I gave Batman the day off." Superman replied, his voice awkward. Diana slowed in flight, surprised. Batman cared about the mission more than anything else. There was no way he had asked Superman for a day off.

"What's wrong with Batman?" She asked.

"Nothing that he can't handle by himself. And please, don't try to talk to him about it."

"A little hard since I don't know what 'it' is."

"Well then don't ask him. And don't talk to him about the mission today, please." Curiosity began to gnaw on her, but Diana heard the telltale sound of Star Sapphire's attack and Superman's answering yell seconds before the sound of crunching concrete filled the link. She turned off the tiny radio and flew faster, pushing Batman to the back of her mind.

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Sapphire had learned a lot since their last encounter. She wasn't any stronger or faster, but she had learned a bit about how the team fought, managing to evade their initial attack and fly off with the five Leaguers in close pursuit. Wonder Woman forced herself to fly faster, but her quarry remained too far ahead for her to hope to catch. Superman, GL, and J'onn were flying within a hundred yards of her, but no one showed any signs of catching up soon.

Green Lantern and Superman occasionally fired at her, but Sapphire kept her eyes on them, and at this distance she had ample room to dodge. Every few blocks she fired a pink beam either directly at the League or at people down below, forcing one of them to fall back and help. It was only Flash's timely intervention on the ground stopped her from killing dozens. Wonder Woman blocked a beam with her crossed wrist bracelets and gritted her teeth, forcing herself to fly ever faster, ignoring the first signs of fatigue creeping into her bones. They had been at this for hours. She was ready to end it.

But Star Sapphire had a huge head start. At this point she was easily half a mile ahead. Suddenly a red streak shot out of a rooftop access door and struck Sapphire. Wonder Woman could see the distant pink dot waver, and one or two choice words drifted back toward her, along with a few snarky comments.

"It's Flash!" Green Lantern shouted. Wonder Woman smiled at her friend's novel plan of attack. She could see Star Sapphire slowing already as she tried to wrest the speedster's arms from around her neck. Star Sapphire twirled toward the ground, suddenly firing a continuous beam of energy, slicing through a block's worth of buildings and carving the street into a canyon. Water and sewage from busted pipes sprayed the air as stone rained onto the ground below.

Wonder Woman swooped to scoop a little girl and her mother out of the path of a falling building. Her other companions joined her in rescuing civilians and keeping the worst of the wreckage in check. Wonder Woman hoped Flash could keep Sapphire occupied a little longer. After a minute or two she heard Flash yell and turned to see Sapphire fire another beam of light, burning his arm. Wonder Woman flew toward her, and Star Sapphire took flight once more.

Wonder Woman lost track of how long she pursued her adversary, Flash stubbornly clinging to the criminal's leg, slowing her down. At one point a burst of green light shot over her shoulder, narrowly missing Sapphire and Flash. She thought she heard Superman shout something, but she couldn't hear what he said exactly.

Wonder Woman began to slow against her will as an ache crept into her muscles, exacerbated by a grazing blow from Star Sapphire's sapphire. As the smell of burned skin was torn away on the wind, she saw Flash shout something and drive his fist into Sapphire's side. Two things happened in rapid succession: Flash lost his grip and fell to the ground, and a clearly tired Sapphire doubled over, loosing altitude.

Superman flew to catch Flash, and Green Lantern fired again, this time hitting her squarely in the chest. Sapphire dropped like a stone. Wonder Woman slowed minutely, sensing the chase was almost over, and she noticed a sign on a fence below: Gotham Cemetery. They had come a long way. Star Sapphire shook her head and slowly began to gain altitude, heading for the far side of the cemetery.

"Not today, witch." Green Lantern said. He lashed out with a giant green fist and knocked Sapphire straight out of the sky, sending her hurtling toward a group of people gathered on a grassy knoll. Wonder Woman dove down, hoping to keep anyone from being flattened by the super-villain. Seconds before she hit, Star Sapphire fired an giant burst of continuous power from her gem, tearing though flowers, grass, earth, and a large picture. Mourners fled wailing as Sapphire slammed into the earth, a cloud of soil and pink energy flying in all directions and obstructing Wonder Woman's vision.

Wonder Woman landed at the bottom of the knoll, bracelets raised to fend off an attack, waiting to see if her caution was necessary. After a few seconds a dazed Star Sapphire climbed out of a hole in the earth, looking around with a hand held to her head as she surveyed the destroyed funeral, the portrait now curling among small orange flames, the elegant mahogany coffin dusted with ash. Wonder Woman was prepared to knock the twisted woman out with a good punch, but someone beat her to it.

A broad-shouldered man in a dark suit with a single black rose in his lapel stalked up and punched Star Sapphire directly in the sapphire on her forehead. Sapphire fell to the ground, and the man hauled her up by the scruff, shook her hard enough for her head to roll violently, and slammed her onto the ground with enough force to make the woman bounce. Before the criminal could strike back he was beating her again, merciless fists smashing into her face, neck, back, stomach, limbs— whatever he could reach. Sapphire tried to fire at him, but the man weaved to one side and kept beating her without breaking stride.

Surprise at this attack prevented Wonder Woman from making an initial move, but a sense of familiarity held her back a little longer. Something about this man was strikingly familiar. Wonder Woman felt that she should know who he was, but the look in his eyes distracted her from his identity. She had seen that look in only a select few villains, a burning gaze with all the fire and frost of hell.

The man seized Star Sapphire by the collar, lifting her off the ground. He held her up so that her eyes were even with his.

"I didn't think scum like you could sink any lower," he growled, in a voice that was so familiar but foreign in its harshness. "For the first time in two weeks, I was wrong." The hairs on Wonder Woman's arms began to stand up with a dreadful premonition.

"Bruce, stop!" Superman yelled, coming to land next to Wonder Woman, Flash's arm around his neck. Green Lantern stood next to him, surprise and a trace of fear written onto his face. J'onn touched down on Wonder Woman's other side, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted.

Wait, _**BRUCE?**_

The man turned toward the League, the burning quality of his eyes reverting to a cold look of calm determination, haunting in its familiarity.

Bruce dropped Star Sapphire on the ground, took a long look at the smoldering picture, and turned to place a hand on the coffin. He stared at the cask for only a moment before striding away, every bit as silent and reserved as he was when on duty in the Watch Tower. Diana looked down to see a scrap of paper, flames eating it inward from the edges, slowly engulfing a dark eye.

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"Everyone, assemble at the Watchtower windows."

Diana looked up from the stack of appliances she was sorting through. Resisting the urge to sigh, she set down a house-sized super computer and flew up to the windows. The Watchtower had more than one set of windows, but there was one set that wrapped around the entire Watchtower with an adjacent metal catwalk connected to the elevator. This area had become a kind of meeting place while the rest of the tower was still under construction.

Diana landed next to J'onn. Superman and Green Lantern were already present. Flash dropped into their little meeting as Diana's feet were settling on the floor.

"So what I'd miss?" he asked, usual cocky smile present.

"Nothing yet, I just wanted to talk about the rebuilding process," Superman said.

"We should postpone this conversation until Batman arrives. He is the architect and funder of this enterprise." J'onn said.

"Yeah, these blueprints make zero sense," Flash said, holding an unfurled blueprint up and turning it different ways.

"For once Flash is right. I can't make head or tail of these things." Green Lantern grumbled, pouring over another blueprint. "I'd rather wait for Batman than start without him and make a stupid mistake."

"Unless he's too busy beating people up at funerals," Flash said.

"Not funny," Green Lantern reprimanded him.

"Come on," Flash appealed. "You guys got to admit that was weird. I mean, Batman beating people up, ok, yeah, we see that all the time. But not Bruce Wayne, and I've never seen him go on someone like that, not even the Joker."

"Flash is right. Batman's behavior was most unexpected and more than a little disturbing." J'onn agreed.

"Today is a hard day for him," Superman interjected. "We've all gone overboard on a villain at one time or another. Try to leave him alone."

"Why is today so special?" Green Lantern inquired, voice harder than it would have been five weeks ago. Superman looked down and away for a moment before he stared back at Green Lantern.

"It's not my place to say." He turned to walk away, but Diana stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, turning him back to face her.

"Batman is our friend. We're all worried about him." She said. Superman shifted uncomfortably, glancing a floor before responding.

"I wasn't even supposed to know about it. I overheard Batman talking to Alfred two days ago. He nearly ripped my head off when I tried to talk to him about it. I didn't mean to eavesdrop; it's hard not to." Superman defended himself hastily.

"Dude, what's wrong with him?" Flash asked, noticeably more concerned now. "Maybe we can help. I mean, it's gotta be a Batman kind of problem, right? Bruce Wayne is rolling in cash and beautiful babes."

"The whole playboy routine is just a cover-up for show, Wally." Superman said.

"Whose life was he honoring at the funeral?" J'onn asked in that calm, matter-of-fact way that the Martian always had when he had gleaned someone's thoughts. Superman scowled.

"I don't have the right to say anything about this."

"You've barely told us anything at all." Flash protested.

"Well I shouldn't have told you that." Superman said. "And I'm not going to say anything else on the matter. Now does anyone have anything to say about the Watchtower?"

"I still hold that we should wait for Batman before coming to a decision." J'onn declared. Superman flew toward a monitor, clearly displeased. He fiddled around with it for a little while before standing back and pressing a button.

"Batman, come in." Apparently Superman had turned Batman's mic back on because their teammate's testy voice soon replied.

"What?" Diana stretched a bit to see Batman's covered face glaring at them on a monitor.

"I need you to come to the Watchtower for a meeting."

"If this is about Star Sapphire then forget it. I'm busy tying up a lose end right now."

"It's about the Watchtower, Bruce."

"Then it can wait. I left instructions with both Johns."

"Those instructions need some explaining, and new problems have come up, so I need you to come up here, preferably now." Superman growled, his voice getting louder as his patience thinned while Batman's grew colder and more distant. Diana wasn't sure which was more frightening.

"We can't always get what we prefer. I'll send more detailed instructions to you from here, and if you still need help I'll come up after I've taken care of some work here." Superman gripped the top of the computer.

"It took you twenty minutes on the dot to fly from Gotham to the Watch Tower last week. You have exactly twenty minutes to make it to the Watchtower. After that, I'm coming to get you myself. You've been spending too much time in that cave; we need you up here." Diana saw Batman narrow his eyes darkly.

"Fine, but I won't be there for long." The screen went black. Superman stood straight and sighed before turning to the others.

"I thought you were giving him the day off?" Diana asked.

"Apparently we can't finish this without him, so he'll have to manage." Superman said, a touch of fatigue polluting his voice. "Let's see what we can do without him for now." The League began what work they could, everyone working together to translate the highly detailed blueprints. Superman left after about fifteen minutes to get more titanium. Diana was studying a complex design that outlined the exact position of a supercomputer when the bay door hissed open. Diana flew across the room and alighted in front of the darkly clad figure. A glance at the computer's clock told her that he had taken twenty four minutes. It wasn't like him to be late.

"Batman, you're here." Diana greeted him.

"Where's Superman? I want to get this over with quickly." Batman said, getting to the heart of the matter with one breath as usual. Diana frowned. A black canister was gripped in his left hand, and he held a small towel-wrapped bundle to his chest with the other hand. As she watched the bundle twitched and a metallic copper eye peered up at her.

"Superman left to get more titanium a few minutes ago." She told him, keeping her eyes fixed on the bundle.

"Good." Batman held the canister up for her to see. "Give these to J'onn. I made more expressive blueprints and divided them onto more pages to make it easier to understand."

"Ok, but what's that?" Wonder Woman asked, staring at the bundle. Batman readjusted his grip on the bundle, and it wiggled, emitting a faint sound of complaint.

"Something I inherited today from a good friend," he said. "Actually, I need you to do me a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Diana asked, intrigued. Batman never asked anyone for help, much less a favor.

"I have business to do in Gotham, and I need someone to keep an eye on this until I'm done. Alfred is recovering from knee surgery, so I don't want to leave her with him."

"And who is her, exactly?" Diana asked, curiosity deepening. Batman pulled back the top of the towel, and a sleek furred head emerged, staring at Diana with intelligent, luminous eyes. It took her a moment to place the name of the beast.

"A cat?" she asked. The cat made a quiet mrrow and twisted to see her better, placing dainty paws on Batman's wide forearm.

"I need you to watch her for a few hours," Batman said. Although his voice was no different from normal, Diana got the feeling he was somewhat embarrassed. Diana hesitated for a second or two before holding out her arms. Batman carefully deposited the towel bound cat in her arms, where it placed a paw on her chest and leaned up, whiskers twitching. Diana couldn't help but be moved by the creature.

"Alright," she relented. Batman nodded and turned to leave. When he had taken a few steps away something occurred to Diana and she called after him.

"Wait." Batman stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "Does she have a name?"

"Isis."

Reviews are always welcome. I love getting reviews, and for those of you who want to see more, I've also written a Teen Titans story called _Dark History and Shadowy Love_.


	2. One Mischievous Feline

**Disclaimer: you all know this already, I don't own this.**

Diana sat on the edge of her bed. The cat watched her through wide, innocent eyes. Diana noted the contrast between the creature's sleek, silvery-black coat and the bronze-gold tones of her room. She held out her hand, and the cat brushed its muzzle against her fingers.

Diana wondered for perhaps the twentieth time whose funeral they had crashed and how was that person connected to Batman. She tried to remember what the picture looked like, but all she could remember was the dark eye curling into smoke. Whoever it was must have been inordinately close to Batman; she could think of no other reason why the solitary warrior would agree to care for their pet. For a moment Diana felt distinctly jealous, but she pushed it aside. Batman didn't deal well with loss, and he didn't like to talk about anything except the mission.

The cat— Isis Batman had called her— mewed and butted her head against Diana's arm. It occurred to her that she had no idea how to take care of a cat. Diana had never had a pet before. Diana stepped into the hall to look for help and found it sooner than expected.

"J'onn," she greeted the Martian. J'onn stopped just across the hall from her door.

"I have been looking for you." J'onn said. "We have completed all work that does not require more titanium. We will resume construction when Superman returns. Why did you cease construction on the Watch Tower?"

"Batman asked me to do a favor for him," Diana admitted. "And I might need some help with it." J'onn raised one eyebrow.

"What manner of favor did he ask of you?" J'onn inquired.

"Remember that funeral Batman was at today?" Diana asked. "Whoever died left Batman his cat, and he needs me to take care of it for a few hours. J'onn frowned.

"That is an odd request for Batman to make." J'onn said.

"Could you help me take care of her?" Diana asked. "I don't know anything about cats."

"I know little about such creatures, save for what I learned while staying with Superman and his parents during Christmas." J'onn stated. "Flash or John would be better at this."

"I get the feeling that Batman would rather this not become common knowledge." Diana told him. "They would ask Batman about this. Please, J'onn, I trust you to keep it a secret."

"Very well." J'onn relented. He walked into her room and bent over to look at the cat. The cat stared back at him with a curiously shrewd expression and sniffed his hand. J'onn began to pet it when it brushed its muzzle against his hand. "Good kitty." J'onn said, smiling. The cat mrrowed and leapt across the room to land on the edge of a shield hanging on the wall of Diana's room where it balanced seemingly without effort.

"Mrrrrooooww," Isis droned, crouching to bound to the other wall and run down the length of a spear shaft. At the end of the spear the cat leapt to land on Diana's bed and crouch there, sinewy body tensed like a spring, motionless save for the twitching tail tip.

"What's she doing?" Diana asked, bewildered by the animal's behavior. J'onn's eyes briefly glowed orange. The cat narrowed its luminous eyes as the fur along its spine began to bristle like porcupine quills.

"She wants to play." J'onn declared. "Strange. I was forced from her mind after the initial access." The cat suddenly leapt, landed on Diana's shoulder, snatched tiara from her brow, and bounded out the open door. Diana ran out into the hall and turned to the left. The cat stood at the end of the hall, the tiara in her mouth. It blinked once at Diana before whisking around the corner.

"Perhaps we should not have left the door open." J'onn said. Diana gritted her teeth and ran after it. She emerged in the unfinished main room. Equipment lay scattered all over the room, some covered with tarps, some half assembled. The cat was nowhere to be seen. Diana began lifting boxes and computers, searching for it.

"Up there." J'onn said, pointing to one of the platforms above their head. Diana looked up to see the silvery-blue creature sitting on a beam thirty feet in the air, her tiara in its teeth.

"Can it fly?" Diana asked. It didn't look like it, but then again she had seen so much during her time in the Justice League.

"I do not believe so." J'onn said. Diana flew up to it and held out her hand, calling on Artemis's blessing. The goddess of the hunt had granted her the ability to communicate and calm any animal in her presence, but it wasn't especially helpful here. This cat didn't want to talk, and it wasn't hostile. This was a game for it, plain and simple.

The cat sprinted down the support beam, its movement so sudden that Diana simply stared at the place where it had been for a few seconds before she realized what had happened. She flew after it, but the cat ran into an open air vent and bounded up the metal shaft. Dian flew twenty feet above and ripped the air vent open only for the beast to leap onto her head and sprint down the side of the central pillar of that ran the entire height of the Watch Tower.

The cat leapt to the ground and sprinted toward the giant monitor on the far side of the room. Diana began to fly after it, but J'onn rose from the floor in front of the cat, and she pulled up, waiting to see if he had any more luck than she.

"Here kitty." J'onn said, holding his hand out to the cat. The cat purred, then leapt up the Martian's body in three bounds before vanishing down a corridor.

"Come on, let's go after her," Diana urged. She started to fly after it, but J'onn held his arm in front of her.

"Wait." He urged. "It does not have your crown anymore." With a jolt Diana realized he was right. She looked over her shoulder at the hole she had made in the central column.

"The air vent," she said and flew to the hole. Diana peered down the shaft. "I can't see it." she called out to J'onn.

"Allow me." J'onn phased through the wall and into the air vent. He and Diana searched the air vent for fifteen minutes without success.

"Where could it be?" Diana mused aloud.

"Where could what be?" Green Lantern asked, walking up toward her and J'onn.

"My tiara, it's, uh, missing." Diana said, surprised by his sudden appearance.

"You lost your tiara," John said, frowning. "How?"

"It's complicated," Diana said hurriedly, cutting off J'onn as the Martian opened his mouth. "Look, we think it might be in the air vent. Could you check for us, John?" Green Lantern raised an eyebrow.

"I'll check. But why on earth would it be in there." John said, pointing his right fist toward the pillar. When nothing happened Green Lantern's stern expression morphed to one of mild surprise. He checked his fist, and his eyes flew wide.

"My ring is gone!" He exclaimed. Diana gasped. She hadn't noticed before, but sure enough the small green ornament was absent.

"I was using it just five minutes ago," he said, voice rising with alarm. "What could have happened to it?" A red streak announced the arrival of the Flash as the speedster dropped into the center of their little circle at a few MPH under the speed of sound.

"What's up guys," he said with a smile to match his cheery voice.

"My ring and Diana's tiara are both missing," John said urgently. "We need to find them NOW."

"On it," Flash promised. He darted off and a clap of sound like thunder shook the room, staggering Diana and knocking the men off their feet.

"I told you not to do that inside," Green Lantern shouted after his friend. "Keep it up and this whole thing will come down on our heads." Several more claps punctuated these words. Silence followed for another thirty seconds while the three heroes shook their heads and tried to get their ears to stop ringing. Just as Diana felt that she would be able to listen to some music later that night Flash zipped up to them.

"I found bubkes." He said. "Do you think someone stole them?"

"What's been stolen?" Superman asked, gliding in through the air lock with approximately four tons worth of titanium rods slung over one shoulder. Diana looked at J'onn.

"My power ring and Diana's crown are missing," John said, teeth grinding in a snarl. "Flash just searched the whole building and couldn't find them." Superman frowned and put down the titanium.

"I didn't see anyone leaving on my way up here, so if there's a thief then he's still on board." Superman said, voice authoritative like he was directing them on the battlefield. "Everyone split up and look." Superman, Flash, and John scattered. J'onn and Diana looked at each other. This had gotten way out of hand, fast.

_Should we tell them?_ He asked her mentally. She shook her head very slightly._ I do not like to keep secrets from our friends._

_ Hopefully it won't be for long,_ she thought back. _Let's see if we can find the cat first. You can read its mind and find my crown and John's ring. _J'onn said nothing in reply but cast his gaze slightly down and closed the mental conversation.

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Three hours later there was no sign of Isis, Diana's tiara, or John's ring. J'onn tried making contact with the cat several times and only occasionally felt a fleeting trace of some faint thought. Superman claimed not to hear anything unusual or see anything odd with his X-ray vision. John, Flash, and she were equally stymied. Superman tried to call Batman twice and received no response. Diana tried calling the Dark Knight with equal success. She cursed the Cape Crusader as she checked under her bead for a third time. Diana leaned against a wall and crossed her arms, thinking hard. Where could that cat have gone? She walked out into the hall and ran into John.

"Any luck?" he asked her.

"No," Diana answered truthfully. John sighed and shook his head.

"Whoever it is, they're probably long gone by now," he muttered ruefully.

"Mrrow." John and Diana looked up simultaneously. Isis sat at the end of the hall, copper eyes flashing. A small green object protruded from her mouth.

"Is that a cat?" John asked with no small trace of surprise; and then, in a harder voice, he added, "with my ring!" The cat vanished down a side hall. John ran after it, feet pounding on the hallway. Diana followed, a sense of dread building inside her. She and John emerged into the main room in time to see the cat crouch halfway between Diana and the central pillar. Flash was leaning against the right wall but looked up at his friends' arrival.

"That cat has my ring!" John yelled, pointing at the cat. The feline turned to run, but Flash swiped it up before it could take two steps.

"Hey, kitty," he called. "Why don't you give that to me, huh?" The cat swiped at his arm, leaving tiny slashes in the fabric. Flash yelped, and the cat wormed its way out of his grip and ran down its back, streaking toward the air vent in the central pillar. J'onn rose through the floor, arms stretched to grab the creature; but the infernal beast leapt over his hands and vanished into the vent.

"What's all the commotion?" Superman asked, floating down to address his friends.

"There's a cat in the air vent, and it has my ring," John growled, pointing at the vent.

"A cat?" Superman asked. The Man of Steel stared at the solid metal for a moment before a flicker of surprise lit his features. He flew about forty feet up and tore open the air vent. He retracted his hand with the creature's scruff firmly in his grasp. Superman floated to the floor with the cat in his arms.

"Now, what are we going to do with it?" he asked. The cat didn't wait for an answer, pulling itself from his grasp and bounding over his shoulder, sprinting for the hanger. Diana wondered if Batman was trying to punish her for something.

Diana ran in pursuit, Flash and Superman ahead, the two John's behind. She flew around the central column and stopped dead. The cat sprinted up the body of an immobile figure standing in the open doors of the hanger, his black ship parked behind. The creature wound itself around his shoulders and growled, tail twitching.

"Batman," Superman said, surprise etching his face. Batman didn't reply, merely scooping the cat up to hold it like a child against his shoulder.

"Don't let it get away," John said. "That thing has my ring." Batman hitched the cat up his left shoulder and opened his right palm. The cat stared at him for a moment before depositing the ring into his open palm. Batman tossed the ring to bemused Green Lantern and stared with calm, cold eyes in silence for a moment, spreading discomfort among their ranks.

"Wait, Bats, is this your cat?" Flash asked incredulously. Batman narrowed his eyes.

"I inherited her today," he said in his usual expressionless tone.

"Really? Who left you a cat in their will? Did you have some crazy old cat lady as a friend?" Flash asked. Superman glared at him, and Flash shut up. Superman turned back to Batman, and Diana could swear something passed between them.

"Bruce-" Superman began.

"I came to see why the Watch Tower's new security system is going haywire." Batman interrupted. "Apparently you thought ripping into the central pillar would help the construction process." Diana winced.

"We were trying to get your cat," John said, striding forward. "What were you thinking, just leaving that thing here? It stole my ring and Diana's crown. We nearly dismantled the Watch Tower trying to catch it!"

"Alfred is recovering from knee surgery, and Superman insisted I come here immediately. There wasn't much of a choice. And I thought I was leaving her in safe hands." Diana cringed but stepped forward. She had to bite the bullet and own up to her mistake.

"I'm sorry, Batman. I left the door open, and she just got out." Diana said. "That cat is crazy. She's a worse thief than Star Sapphire." Batman said nothing to her but addressed his next comments to the cat. Diana couldn't help but feel slighted.

"Isis, bring me the gold tiara you took," he said. The cat blinked, swished its tail, released a long, grumbling mew, and whisked out of his arms. It vanished into the air vent before anyone could react.

"Crap, Bruce, now we have to chase after that fluffy nightmare all over again," Superman complained.

"Wait," Batman said. Five seconds later the cat sipped out of the air vent, Diana's crown held carefully in its teeth. It bounded up Batman's side and pressed the crown into his hand. Batman scratched the cat behind the ears and tossed the gold band to Diana. She caught her crown, eyes never leaving Batman and the cat. There was something here he wasn't telling them. And she was willing to bet on the Styx that Superman knew what it was.

"That cat is most skilled." J'onn stated. "Almost as if trained by a master thief." Batman turned and placed the cat in his jet.

"The best." He said simply. Batman jumped into the jet and turned to face Superman. "I have work to do. You know where to find me if you need me." Batman faced forward and started the jet. Another ten seconds later he was gone.

"Ooookay." Green Lantern said.

"Tell me about it, that was really weird." Flash commented.

"Batman has more than enough to deal with without us gossiping about it. Let's get back to work." Superman said, something in his voice a little strangled.

Diana glanced at Superman. The strongest man alive was staring after the black vessel, an expression close to worry residing on his features. The others stared at each other for a minute or two before turned and began to go back

That did it.

Diana was resolved to find out what was going on with Batman. None of this was adding up. It was clear Superman wasn't going to talk, so she'd have to get the answers herself. Fortunately it was only a little over an hour to Gotham from here.

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Batman sat down in his throne and placed his chin on his fist, leaning back and to the right to examine his domain. The stalagmite and stalactite had fused with each other and the wall to provide this hidden throne of stone so that he could look out over his dark fortress and brood in times like these.

He still couldn't believe she was gone.

Batman had embraced the darkness and all that came with it. He would never leave these shadows. He had numerous bonds, each unbreakable, to the cave and all that he had spawned within it. Batman had grown to conquer all his enemies, external and internal. All but one. Love, his inner Joker, continued to haunt him, plague him, hound at him, tear at him with cruel fangs more painful than any weapon. One by one they came to tempt him to leave the night and embrace the sun and welcome the day into his life.

But he could never leave the night. He was the night. He was vengeance. He was Batman. Batman was who he truly was, his true identity. And every last one of them realized that he could never forsake the shadows. And he had learned that every last one never loved him absolutely. They had all had priorities greater than him, as was right. But he never expected so many to betray him and all he stood for.

But she had been different. She had not fallen in love with Bruce Wayne the millionaire. She had fallen in love with Batman the warrior, the fighter whose determination knew no bounds. She had dedicated her life and wealth to an identity other than the one granted to her by her parents. She had been claimed by a greater, more powerful force to stand for a cause she held dear. She had protected her wards with all the ferocity he had his own, and like him she had not sunk to kill. She had never wanted to take him from his world of shadows but to join him, unite to dark worlds into one and provide them both with solace.

She had been a criminal. But so was he. The entire League was a band of criminals. Breaking the petty laws to protect people and their basic rights was the lesser of two evils. She had seen that and done the same. Yet so often he had been forced to treat her like the Joker, like Two Face, like the Shade, or like any other low life he had scraped off the bottom of society. In the end they had made their peace began to mesh their worlds of darkness into one.

And now, so soon after their reconciliation, she was gone.

He stared at the glass pillar, where a red suit stood, its plague glinting even from here. The other suits were hidden from his sight by the rock face they were built into beneath his feet. None of the others had seen it. He and Alfred had taken great pains to hide it.

_Where did I go wrong with you?_ He thought. _What mistake did I make that failed you so?_

A ripple of silvery-black caught his attention. Isis stalked into the cave, curious but unafraid in the world of the Batman, just like—

Batman stood, his shadow stretching for miles to cover nearly the whole cave, right up to the black abyss that his cave had arisen from. Never again. For her sake, he would fight twice as hard. He was the night. He was vengeance. Batman swept down the path from his throne. The pit exhaled an icy breath. Batman typed a few commands into the computer, taking up the task where he had left off earlier that day, his raging inner demons cursing him for his lethargy and spurring him on to action in greater levels than they had in years.

_You've been free for four hours now. Where are you hiding, Joker? I'll find you. No force on earth will stop me. _Isis leapt to sit on the console next to his arm, long tail swishing back and forth like a grandfather clock. Intelligent copper eyes watched him and the screen. Batman clenched his jaw. It always, always leads back to the Joker.

**Ok, I know this is a little late, but I've been swamped and exams are coming up, but I plan on writing extra fast over the summer. As ever, review.**


	3. A Friend In Need

**Sorry it's been so long guys. I had exams and college stuff and interviews and got my wisdom teeth removed and aarrggh, the whole thing is a mess. So here it is, the next chapter. As always, I will be sprucing it up in the future, fixing any little mistakes, so if you come back and read it a second time it might be slightly different.**

It was well after midnight, too dark for him to be seen, but that didn't keep heavy traffic off the bridge. The conditions were perfect for the Dark Knight's interrogation. The man in question was currently a bodyguard for Carlton Duquesne, but he had had more than one criminal boss. He used to work for the Joker. After Kathy had donned the mask of Batwoman, this lowlife had begun to act on his wistful memories of a richer time, a time filled with smiles.

Now he was probably regretting that decision as he dangled above the traffic by the thinnest of lines. Of course the scum didn't know that the cord had a four-hundred-twenty-nine-point-six-seven pound breaking strength. Batman stood and pressed a button on his belt, summoning the Batwing to his location. He had learned everything he needed to from his most recent capture. The police would get there before the man died from the blood rushing to his head.

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As it turned out, Diana didn't even make it to Gotham before Jonn relayed a call to her from Princess Audrey. Audrey needed Diana to help her immediately, but she didn't want anyone except Diana to know what the problem was. As much as Diana wanted to find out what was wrong with Batman, she couldn't ignore Audrey. Diana alighted on Audrey's balcony about two hours later, refusing to let her tiredness show. The guards around Audrey's palace knew better than to shoot the princess's best friend. The thought of two powerful angry women was enough to discourage the most trigger-happy guard.

Diana took a few steps into Audrey's room, scanning for her friend. The door banged open suddenly, startling Diana.

"Diana!" Audrey greeted, big blue eyes wide with delight. The princess threw her arms around Diana in what she must have considered a forceful hug. Diana was careful to return the gesture more gently, conscious of her fantastic strength.

"It's good to see you Audrey," Diana said. "But why did you call for me? And what could be so important that you didn't want the rest of the League to know?" Audrey sighed.

"Come, we have much to talk about." Audrey led her into the labyrinth of hallways, made more confusing by the furious paced construction. Audrey's last castle had been destroyed, and the new one was only half finished.

"A few years before I met you a high level officer in our military decided that Kaznia lacked the technology to defend ourselves from other nations, particularly the United States of America. He made a deal without my father's permission to purchase plasma rifles from a dealer in the United States. These plasma rifles are highly illegal both in the UN and in Kaznia, but he promised a total of one billion American dollars if a shipment of these weapons could be smuggled into Kaznia. He paid a half billion dollars up front and never received the weapons. One of your Justice League friends foiled the operation before it could leave America, not that he was in the League at the time; this occurred before the invasion. When my father discovered this treachery the officer was arrested for treason."

"What does this have to do with me now?" Diana asked. The pair stopped before a door guarded by two men with rifles. Audrey placed her hand on a scanner, and the twin steel panels slid aside with a hiss. They walked into a smaller version of the control room in the old palace from which Vandal Savage had manned the rail gun.

"Because two days ago we found this in a raid on a rebel hiding place," Audrey said, gesturing to a sleek gun set a rack. Diana examined it carefully, though if she was honest she didn't know or care enough about guns to tell one from another.

"It is a plasma rifle," Audrey said. "It's a more recent model than the ones the traitor tried to purchase before, less than a month or two old. It can take out a tank at three hundred yards."

"More like five hundred, Princess," said a scientist stooped over a monitor. Diana and Audrey glared at him. "I measured the clip size," he explained nervously. They continued to glare. He gulped and turned back to his work. Diana turned to regard Audrey.

"Do you think some in your government or military is illegally importing them again?" Audrey shook her head.

"We considered it, but it does not appear so. Besides, the rebels are the ones using them."

"Tell me about these rebels," Diana urged. Audrey shrugged.

"There is not much to tell," she said dismissively, as she usually did when speaking about anything besides shopping. "Many Kaznians were displeased with our participation in the international space station before Vandal Savage revealed his toy. Now any time my father tries to advance Kaznia among the other nations of the world they suspect a dire plot and cry in outrage. They wish to overthrow the Kaznian government and build a new one. The men who tried to kidnap me when we first met were part of these rebels. They were a motley group before the rail gun incident, but now they are quite numerous. Our advantages up until this point has been their second rate weaponry and lack of organization. But if they are armed with these plasma rifles…"

Audrey trailed off, possibly remembering her abduction the night when she and Diana first met. Considering everything that happened that night and the subsequent days that followed, it wasn't a surprise that Audrey would call for her and try to leave out the rest of the League, especially since this was the second time in the past six months that advanced weaponry was illegally used in Kaznia. The other Leaguers would probably think of Audrey and her father as unfit rulers. Diana's heart pulled. She stared Audrey dead in the eye.

"Tell me where the nearest rebel hideout is," Diana said. Audrey smiled.

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"Attention rebels, we have you surrounded. Surrender in the name of King Gustav." Diana alighted at the base of the hill in the midst of the speech. She stared up at what she could only call a large metal shack perched at the top of the hill. Once it had been concealed by trees, but bombs and tank fire had left the hillside a splintered wasteland. Kaznian infantry and tanks surrounded the hillside while the drone of planes above confirmed that there really was no way out. Diana waited for the rebels to emerge with their hands in the air so she could go back to investigating Gotham.

Instead a yellow beam of light from one of the holes in the shack swept the Kaznian army, slicing through three tanks and damaging a fourth. The men not killed by the beam were either charred by the exploding tanks and grenades or perforated by shrapnel. Diana had instinctively raised her bracelets in front of her when the beam fired, but the rebels had gone out of their way to avoid her. She glanced over her shoulder. Where a well-fortified and trained army had once stood nothing remained but a smoking trench in the earth lined with liquid slag and soldiers screaming from their wounds. So that was a plasma rifle. She looked back to the rebel hideout. It was quiet. No more attacks were forthcoming. The squeal of a megaphone preceded an announcement in Kaznian. The Kaznian army shuffled and muttered, clearly uneasy. Diana had no clue what they were trying to say; it was not Greek to her.

"Audrey, what did they say," Diana asked, placing a hand to her new Kaznian earpiece. It was larger and less comfortable than her Justice League earpiece, but it let her talk to Audrey without putting Audrey in danger or taking Diana out of it.

"They said that if we do not surrender to them, all of Kaznia will pay for the crimes of the crown, beginning with you and ending with the king." Diana flared when she heard the trace of fear in Audrey's voice. Diana sent a quick prayer to Hera that Audrey would be safe in her helicopter. It was hidden by thick cloud cover half a mile in the air and several hundred yards away, but if a if a rebel with a plasma rifle got a lucky shot…Diana set her jaw.

She put one leg back a little, digging her heel into the soft earth, and pushed off, spraying soil and grass. Diana kept her arms crossed before her to take any fire, and sure enough she heard the distinctive noise of a beam weapon right before it struck her bracelets. A little jolt of surprise jerked in her stomach when the force of the bolt slowed her charge to halt, then threw her down the hill. Diana tumbled head over heels only once before she thrust her feet down onto the hillside. Her heels gouged small furrows as she ground to a halt. Diana narrowed her eyes and tilted her head down, taking in the shack, ignoring the ebony strands that drifted into her eyes. The plasma rifle was strong. She had the strength of Heracles.

Plasma rifle fire struck the ground all around her as Diana pushed off, rising straight up the side of the hill, keeping her body low to the ground so that once or twice a tussock of grass skimmed against her arms or chest. Diana weaved back and forth, thanking Athena that these rebels were just as terrible shots as most of the numbskulls she fought. Diana smashed through the wall of the shack, crashing into one rebel right as he fired. The plasma rifle jerked slightly to the side and up, so the shot that would have split her skull instead carved a tiny slice of skin and flesh out of her left shoulder. Worse than the pain was the heat of the blast, sucking the air right out of her lungs and charring a lock of her hair. Surprise slowed her marginally, and the other rebels had enough time to register that she had escaped their barrage before she could turn on them. They had enough time to raise their guns.

Diana launched herself at them, smashing into the two directly in front of her as the first attack streaked over her shoulders, filling the room with the smell of burned hair. Diana seized the guns of the two rebels on her immediate right and left and snapped the barrels of their guns, leaving her with two short metal rods. She whacked both of them over the head, careful to keep her full strength in check. She didn't come here to kill. After that the battle was a blur of smashing fists and the hum and _tsew_ of plasma rifles. Diana ducked shots, kicked out with her heels, threw goons, flew from side to side, covered herself with her bracelets, broke limbs, and knocked goons unconscious in a haze of high-speed combat. At some point someone pulled a handgun on her, and bullets ricocheted off her bracelets, eliciting wounds from multiple opponents before the man paused to reload and Diana had her chance to crush the gun in her fist.

Eventually Diana stood in the middle of the room, heaving, hair a disheveled mess as she raised her bracelets, preparing for the next attack. But the shack remained quiet. Diana looked about tiredly and saw that the all the rebels were unconscious. Moments later Kaznian soldiers stormed the shack, cuffing the rebels and taking stock of the weapons in the room.

"Diana," a voice cried with such concern and alarm that Diana could not help but be touched. She looked up to see Princess Audrey running to her, light blue dress swirling around her thin legs. The princess's face was the very picture of distress. "You're hurt," Audrey gasped. Diana frowned.

"It's just a nick," she protested, reaching around to touch her shoulder. Her right arm moaned in protest. Diana looked at herself and noticed a burn on her right forearm. A closer inspection revealed a sliver of metal from a shattered bullet poking her abdomen, two burns on her left leg, and a burn on her right calf. She reached around to touch her back, and a flare of pain made her wince. Audrey turned her around, and Diana heard her gasp. "What is it?" Diana asked, concerned

"Ah, your armor is glowing hot in two places," Audrey said. Something in her voice made Diana feel that there was something else Audrey wasn't telling her.

"Do you see anything else?" Diana asked nervously.

"Ah, well," Audrey gulped quietly. "Your hair, it is a disaster!" Diana felt her muscles slump.

"I think I can live with messy hair for a little while," Diana consoled.

"I cannot," Audrey declared. "And you know I always get what I want. Come, we are going to fix you up. Bring us back to the castle immediately!"

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Three hours later and Diana's burns had been treated (which the doctors assured her were mild at worst); she had been treated to the fanciest, most luxurious bubble bath in her life; and she had been given her choice of fine foods, the majority of which she hadn't known existed. King Gustav came to thank her at one point and with her permission kneeled down to kiss her hand in gratitude before declaring to the public that Wonder Woman was a friend of the royal family and all of her enemies were enemies of Kaznia.

Diana sat back in an exceedingly comfortable chair and studied her reflection in the mirror, allowing herself a small smile. Her hair really was a disaster. The sides were burned and frizzed out. The edges had been signed off and smelled faintly even now. _If Batman saw me now he probably wouldn't recognize me_ she thought. The smile slipped from her face. Diana had forgotten about him in the general chaos of the past few hours. But now everything came rushing back to her. She had to get to Gotham as soon as possible. It was the only way she was going to get the answers she needed. Diana stood and took out the Kaznian earpiece in favor of her Justice League earpiece. She walked to the balcony and opened the glass doors.

"You weren't leaving without saying goodbye now, were you?"

Diana looked over her shoulder. Audrey was walking toward her, clearly expecting an answer.

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go," Diana said.

"Is the world in jeopardy?" Audrey inquired.

"Well, not necessarily, but there's something I need to find out," Diana said, beginning to grow uncomfortable.

"Did some terrible super villain escape from prison?"

"Probably," Diana muttered.

"Call your Justice League friends," Audrey ordered. "If they do not require your help, you can come clubbing with me. You know I know how to have a good time." Audrey tempted her, eyes mischievous. Diana hesitated before pressing the com link on her earpiece.

"Jonn, are you there." She asked.

"Yes, Diana. What do you need?" Jonn replied.

"Is there any mission that I should help out with?"

"Not at the moment. John and I are working on the Watch Tower. Flash is in Central City. Superman is in Metropolis. I assume Batman is in Gotham. There are no alerts or invasions that require our attention."

"Thanks Jonn," Diana said. She turned back to a smirking Audrey.

"Well, any alien invasions I should be aware of?" Audrey asked innocently.

"No," Diana replied. "But there's something I have to check in Gotham City."

"Doesn't Gotham have its own hero, the Batman?"

"Batman is what I want to investigate," Diana said, immediately cursing herself for saying that aloud. Audrey's crystal blue eyes widened.

"Do you think this Batman has turned criminal?" she asked.

"No," Diana asserted at once. " He's been acting strangely and I…" Diana trailed off. "I think there's something wrong with him." Audrey's shock receded to be replaced by something deeper.

"This is not a Justice League crisis, is it?" Audrey said. Diana sighed and looked down.

"No," she admitted.

"Diana," Audrey said. Diana looked up. "We are friends, aren't we?"

"Yes," Diana responded. Audrey grabbed her hand and led her over to a chair in front of the vanity. "Then you can talk to me. Something is wrong with you, and it involves this Batman, no?" Diana nodded and sat down, propping her head on her fist. Audrey pulled up a chair and sat down, clasping her hands in her lap. "Tell me what is wrong." Diana waited a moment before speaking.

"Batman is…confusing," she admitted. "When I'm around him I feel…different. It's weird. I felt that way around another man once, Steve Trevor, but he's dead now. He had a heart attack during the Thanagarian invasion." Audrey put a hand on Diana's knee.

"I'm sorry, Diana," she said, and Diana could hear true sympathy in her voice. "I remember Batman, the last time he was here, when Vandal Savage took you both captive." Diana resisted the urge to point out that Audrey hadn't bothered to free them. Audrey had been deceived, and she was sorry for the way she had acted at the time. That much Diana knew. The hatchet was buried and best left that way.

"I remember you made him take you dancing," she recalled. "Did he actually take you dancing?" Diana smiled.

"Yes, and I had a wonderful time." She said, remembering a nocturnal dance in the light of the moon, Bruce Wayne's handsome features drifting in and out of the shadows as they moved, alternately cloaked by darkness and shining in the light.

"Then you and he are a couple," Audrey said, eyes shining. Diana's slight improvement of mood vanished.

"No," she said. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Whenever we're together I feel, I don't know, nervous and excited, like I want him to talk to me or something. It's ridiculous," She suddenly exclaimed, standing to her full height. "I'm an Amazon, the daughter of Queen Hippolyta, and the best warrior on Themyscira. I am controlled by no man!"

"Yet you want him to compliment you, no?" Audrey inquired casually. The ire drained right out of Diana. "You can't help noticing little things about him, and you hope he notices the same about you." Diana sank back into her chair.

"How did you know?" Diana asked. Audrey smiled.

"You may be Wonder Woman, but you don't know men like me. Now tell me all about your Dark Knight." Diana sighed again and leaned back.

"He's the most focused person I've ever seen," she said, losing herself in memories of the Cape Crusader. "Nothing can distract him from the mission. He never gives up or accepts failure. And he'll do anything to complete the mission. During the Thanagarian invasion, he told us he had a plan to destroy their hyperspace bypass generator—a big device that would destroy the planet." Wonder Woman explained when Audrey's face blanked over.

"He took Flash and Jonn with him to recapture the Watch Tower. Once the Thanagarians were out, he told them that his plan was to crash the Watch Tower into the generator to destroy it. He made it sound like he would program the Watch Tower to crash into the generator while they all escaped, but when Flash and Jonn were aboard the escape pod he sealed them inside and launched it. Then he told them over the radio that the Watch Tower had to be guided in manually, otherwise there was a good chance it would burn up and break apart in the atmosphere before it hit." Diana waited for that to set in. Audrey's expression was confused for a moment before the full impact of the statement hit her.

"He meant to destroy himself with the generator," she breathed, eyes wide. "Just like when he turned the meteor on the old castle to destroy Vandal's controls." Wonder Woman nodded, chest tightening at the thought of what might have happened.

"He guided the Watch Tower directly at the generator. The Thanagarian defenses weren't strong enough to destroy something so big. He stayed in the cockpit right up to the very end. Superman came to save him at the last minute, but Batman was willing to die for the planet then and there." Audrey stared at her, more than a little awed.

"Were you worried about him?" she asked. Diana smiled a little.

"Batman is a true warrior, one of the best and bravest there is. But yes, I was worried about him," she admitted.

"So what is the problem?" Audrey asked. "You obviously like him. Does he not like you?"

"It's hard to tell," Diana admitted. "Sometimes I think he does, other times he refuses to acknowledge anything that isn't strictly about the mission. And as soon as the mission is over he vanishes back to Gotham." Diana stared at the floor. Her mood had steadily descended from upset to miserable. "Maybe my mother was right, men cannot be trusted."

Audrey stood and put a hand on her shoulder. Diana looked up at her, and a flicker of gratitude ran through her stomach. She had forgotten how good it was to confide in someone else, a friend she could trust, a fellow sister to share her troubles with. And it was nice to have a friend outside the League for a change.

"Come," Audrey said, grabbing her hand and dragging Diana out of the room and down the hall. Surprise kept Diana from resisting.

"Where are we going?" Diana asked as Audrey led her into her room. Diana had never seen the princess move this quickly before. Audrey released Diana and marched into her closet. The closet was so big Diana thought Audrey would be gone for hours, but her friend emerged almost immediately and threw something at Diana. The Amazon caught the red dress and watched in confusion as Audrey tossed her a pair of black heels before striding to a wall to ceiling mirror and stripping out of her dress.

"You are partying with me tonight. After we fix your hair." Audrey declared, pulling on a white dress in record time. Diana opened her mouth to respond when Audrey walked over to her and deftly plucked her earpiece. "You need to clear your head and relax. No batman, no Justice League, just you and me out on the town. You know I know how to party." Audrey teased, eyes narrowly mischievously. Diana paused and smiled.

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Four hours and seven clubs later and Diana staggered outside, arm in arm with Audrey, both girls laughing hysterically.

"I can't believe you threw him into the punch bowl," Audrey giggled.

"I can't believe he tried to grope both of us at once," Diana gasped.

"I…I can't believe that the club had punch and not champagne," Audrey managed to get out between heaves. Both girls leaned against Audrey's limo to catch their breath while Audrey's guards stood a little way away.

"Oh, oh, this has been a great night," Diana said. "Thanks, Audrey. I really needed this." Audrey smiled.

"I am always happy to go clubbing with my best friend," she said.

"Do you mind if I check to see if they need me back at the Watch Tower," Diana asked.

"Don't tell me you're worn out already," Audrey teased. Diana smiled.

"I can keep going. I just want to be sure my friends are ok," she assured Audrey. Audrey shrugged and held out the earpiece. Diana fitted it back in and touched her finger to it, opening all channels. Immediately a familiar and harsh voice sounded forth.

"Diana, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for almost forty-five minutes."

"Batman?" Diana said, surprised. Audrey stood straight, staring intently at Diana.

"There's a huge energy surge on the exact coordinates of Themyscira, possibly magical," Batman said, clearly annoyed with her lapse in vigilence.

"How big?" she asked.

"Big enough to signal a magical presence on the level of Doctor Fate," he answered. "It's been growing steadily, and I got a tip that it might be Klarion, a witch boy I once encountered in Gotham. If he's there, then your sisters are in danger. Klarion loves creating chaos and destruction." Diana's blood ran cold. The last time a great magical presence came to Themyscira, all of the Amazons, including her mother, were turned stone and Hades was freed from Tarturus. Diana cursed herself for not being more attentive.

"I'm on my way," she said. "Don't send the others, it'll just make things worse." Diana turned to a bemused Audrey. "I'm sorry, Audrey, my mother is in danger, I have to help her." Diana leapt up and flew as quickly as she could to Themyscira, praying to all the goddesses that her home was safe.

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Batman rested his hand on the computer's keyboard, his hurried conversation with Diana still ringing in his ears. He stared at the screen, where the red circle that represented the energy surge radiated little rings on the exact spot on the map where the island of Themyscira was hidden. Batman's irritation with Diana's lack of preparation was vying with his far greater irritation that his most recent Joker lead had gone cold. He set his jaw. The Clown Prince of Crime hadn't directly killed her, but if it wasn't for him she would still be here. He had failed her, just as he failed his parents. The greatest love of his life...Batman saw the faint reflection of the red suit in its own cylindrical case, set apart from the others. Another failure.

Batman stared at the screen, where the red dot was slowly but surely growing. If Jason was right—and Etrigon knew his foe well—then Diana wouldn't be able to handle it by herself. Batman told himself that the witch boy would have been weakened by the other Amazons. In fact he might have been overwhelmed by sheer numbers already. But he knew better. He had faced Klarion. The Amazons were overconfident and aggressive. They would not stop him. Why Klarion was there, Batman had no idea; but he knew that no good come become of it.

He imagined what Klarion might do to the Amazons he defeated. The thoughts were grim. He imagined Diana's body turning to wood, her face glaring out from the bark encroaching upon it as Klarion made spikes grow from her flesh. Batman had felt those tortures before. Klarion would toy with them until he grew bored. She needed help, but without Hawkgirl there was no one he could send after her. Batman refused to call Barbara. He wouldn't endanger her with this. It was out of her league.

"Mrrow." Isis leapt into his lap, purring and shoving her head against his chest, then leaping onto the computer when he reached to pet her, just out of range. She liked to play, just like her previous owner…Batman swiveled to face the suit. The empty eyeholes of the mask glared back at him.

Batman rose. He knew it would cause no end of trouble and probably kill him, but he would not fail Diana. Not as he had failed her...

"Master Bruce," Alfred addressed him.

"Sorry Alfred," Batman interrupted him, striding past his oldest friend to the hanger. "I need to go."

"I thought you might say as much," Alfred said, his voice carrying a touch of amusement. "The Batwing is prepped and waiting." Batman glanced over his shoulder at Alfred.

"Thank you, Alfred." He said. Batman climbed into the Batwing, and the engine roared to life, spewing a teardrop-shaped bubble of fire. The Batwing shot down the runway and out into the night. Isis closed her eyes and purred loudly as he left, ignoring the noise and flames.

"I quite agree," Alfred told the cat. "He needs to keep his priorities straight. And it appears he's taken a step in the right direction."

**As ever, reviews are welcome, and check out my Teen Titans story _Dark History and Shadowy Love_ for more Justice League action.**


	4. Magic and Emotions

I know this took an insanely long time, I am sorry for the delay.

Diana gazed upon her birthplace with dismay. Themyscira was outlined with an orange haze many miles before the actual island came into sight. When Diana landed it appeared much as it had when Felix Faust had ravaged it. Massive fires burned in several temples, belching forth towering pillars of smoke and cinders. The harbor waters were painted in sunset colors that might have been beautiful had they not been dyed by the all-consuming inferno and broken up by the wreckage of the Amazonian fleet. Broken columns were strewn across the once pristine city, their shorn bases sticking out of the ground like rotten teeth. Stone slabs ripped from walls made rubbish heaps in every direction. The ground was webbed with fissures, reminding Diana of the eternal pit below. As Diana stared about her home, the terrible sense of loss rising in her chest that made her want to break down and cry like a child was numbed by shock and disbelief.

Diana shook her head. She needed to focus on finding who or what did this. She began to walk toward her mother's throne room, unable to ignore the gaping hole that stared down at her from the roof. A breeze thinned the screen of smoke between her and the temple, revealing the silhouette of one of her Amazon sisters.

"Sister," Diana cried, running to greet her fellow warrior. When Diana was nearly within arm's reach she came to a sudden and complete stop.

"Diana?" Her sister Phillipus moaned, twisting to look at her. Diana clasped her sister's arm, the rough skin scratchy under her touch.

"What happened to you?" Diana asked. Phillipus stared sadly at her but made no move to come closer. She couldn't, for her arms and legs had turned to wooden tree limbs. Roots snaked from her calves and ankles into the stone, rooting her in place.

"A, a boy came to the island," Phillipus groaned. "When we attacked, he cursed us." Diana gripped her bark-covered arm.

"Are you in pain?"

"No, but…Diana, I cannot move and can barely breathe." Phillipus gasped.

"Hold fast, sister," Diana told her. "I will free you." Diana grasped Phillipus's arms and heaved up, trying to wrest her sister from the stone. Phillipus screamed like a harpy's victim, and Diana released her, alarmed.

"Now I am in pain," Phillipus moaned. Phillipus hung her head, struggling for each quick, fluttering breath.

"We have to find a way to cure you," Diana said. Phillipus gathered her breath and raised her head to look at Diana.

"Forget about me," Phillipus urged. "Get the sorcerer who did this." Diana was about to respond when she heard a faint sob. The sound was so foreign to Themyscira that it took her a second to process what she had heard. Diana looked over Phillipus's woody shoulder to see another Amazon stretched out face down on the stones behind her. Spikes protruded from her back, legs, and arms.

"Antiope?" Diana breathed. She ran to her companion and attempted to flip her over to no avail. Diana grasped her side and heaved, eliciting an exhausted whine of pain. With a wet sucking sound Antiope rose from the mud. Diana hadn't even realized it was beginning to drizzle. To her horror Diana saw that more spikes studded Antiope's chest and head, dirt slipping from the unnaturally fine points. Diana seized a four-foot prong rising from her sister's breast and tugged. Antiope released a gasp of pain, tears trickling from the corners of her eyes before she passed out. Diana's mouth formed a perfect **O** as the truth dawned on her.

The spikes were not the blades of spears or javelins thrusting through her sister's body. The spikes were Antiope's very flesh and armor hardened and pushing its way through her body. Diana placed two fingers on Antiope's neck and felt a weak, sporadic pulse. Amazons were born mighty warriors, but no one could withstand this kind of pain for long. And there was nothing she could do to help her sister. Diana stood, ready to move on, when a wind tore the curtains of smoke to ragged strips. Diana stared about, horror rising like bile in her throat.

All around her Amazons lay unconscious, crippled, or dead. Some of her sisters had been transformed into trees like Phillipus, and others lay imbedded in the ground by body spines like Antiope. A few corpses smoldered on the stone, a couple magical flames still flickering with malicious pink/purple light. But one body caught Diana's attention more than any other.

"Artemis," Diana gasped. The woman was stretched out on the ground, sword loose in her extended right hand. The now fast falling rain failed to disguise the disfiguring claw marks scoring her throat. "No," she whispered. Not Artemis, greatest warrior in the Amazon army. Diana had always thought she would outlive the gods.

Diana's blood ran cold. Who could have done such things? Wonder Woman's blood began to boil. Who could have done such things?

She would find out.

Wonder Woman flew her mother's throne room. The colossal doors hung on their hinges, but Wonder Woman sent them flying in either direction. She gave the desiccated room a quick scan, searching for her mother.

"Well well, it looks like I missed one," said a formal yet almost childishly impertinent voice. A ball of fire erupted from the center of the room and hurtled toward her, bathing Wonder Woman in brilliant purple light. She flew to the right in time to feel the flames lick the heels of her boots. Wonder Woman twisted as she landed to see a young boy dressed in a black suit standing before the throne of her mother. He was maybe twelve or thirteen, but the curled horns rising from his flat black hair and the flames flickering around his fingers gave him a sinister look.

"You're faster than the others, too," the boy noted, a smile emerging on his face.

"Men are forbidden from Themyscira," Wonder Woman bellowed. "Leave now!" The smile twisted into an angry pout.

"No one talks to me like that!" He insisted petulantly. He raised his hands over his head, and a fiery boulder formed between his palms. He chucked it at Wonder Woman like a ball, and she crossed her bracelets over her chest and ducked her head down. The fireball exploded against her bracelets, sending her tumbling head over heel until she smashed into a wall. Masonry fell about her as Wonder Woman slumped to the floor. A burning smell filled her nose. Wonder Woman suspected it was her. "No one ever talks to me like that. No one!"

"Who are you?" Wonder Woman demanded, rising to her feet, right palm gripping the wall for support.

"My name is Klarion, and it is the last name you will ever here," he said, flames filling his cupped hands.

"I am Diana, Princess of the Amazons, and I will not be denied," she countered, voice resounding brazenly off the marble and bronze. Klarion's scowl deepened. He hunched over slightly, and the flames in his hands rose higher.

"Diana, run!"

"Mother?" Diana cried, searching for the woman she loved above all others.

"I said _my name_ would be the last you heard," Klarion whined. He hurled the fireballs at her, and Wonder Woman rocketed toward the ceiling. She looked down at Klarion, prepared to crush him into a grease spot, when she saw her bother, bound in chains of living vines, thorns as long as harpy talons piercing her skin and rooting her to the earth. Hippolyta bled from a laceration across her stomach, but the Queen of the Amazons only cried for her daughter to flee.

A torrent of reddish/purple flame cut between Wonder Woman and her mother, forcing the younger Amazon to fly back and down to avoid the burning deluge. Her heels crunched into the rubble as she landed, and Wonder Woman drew her lasso like a sword from its sheath. She collared a chunk of limestone the size of a house and with a heave began to swing it above her head, picking up speed with each revolution.

"Free my mother and sisters," Wonder Woman commanded, voice ringing off the stones with all the command of a warrior born to rule her people. Klarion smiled cruelly.

"Hmm, what do you say, Teekl?" Wonder Woman was giving the stone one last swing before she flung it at this ridiculous little upstart when she felt a weight descend upon it. She turned to see a tan blur with crystal blue eyes lunge for her throat. Wonder Woman ducked and released the rock at the peek of its momentum, but a millisecond later claws scored across her forehead, scratching furrows into her skull. Diana cried out and held a hand to her brow as blood threatened to flow into her eyes. She heard Hippolyta shout her name, and the panic in her tone instilled fear in Diana's heart.

Wonder Woman futilely wiped her hand across her eyes. She had only a brief glimpse of her attacker, but it was enough for her to see its form. The beast had the body of an Amazon, but tan fur striped with black covered its body. The creature's white belly was stained with blood; a fanged maw hissed at her from beneath murderous crystal eyes. It reminded Wonder Woman of a taller, fiercer version of Cheetah. Diana noticed the red stains on its long claws and thought of Artemis. She gritted her teeth, wiped her forehead again, and took a battle stance.

"Hera, help me," Diana prayed.

"Get her, Teekl," Klarion crowed. Great, the little Minotaur's ass survived. A snarl announced the beast's renewed attack, but all she could see was blood. Wonder Woman lashed out and struck Teekl by sheer luck, eliciting a _mrrow_ of complaint. She wasn't so lucky next time. She missed with the first swing, and blinding pain erupted in her thighs. Wonder Woman cried out as a small, hard foot struck the side of her head, knocking her across the room.

Wonder Woman tumbled to a halt and pushed herself onto her hands and knees. She wiped her eyes again and bowed her head, watching scarlet droplets fall to the dust. Her skull throbbed each time the faint sound of blood falling to the ground reached her ears. Wonder Woman glanced up, careful to move only her eyes. Teekl was running for her like Flash, each step covering eight feet with ease. Wonder Woman gritted her teeth. She needed breathing space.

Wonder Woman pushed off into the air to float about thirty feet above the ground. Teekl leapt for her but couldn't even get close. She turned her attention to her mother, bound to the dais before the floor. Hippolyta's face was full of fear for her daughter and not once did she cease to pull on her restraints. Blood pooled around her ankles and wrists. Her dress was stained by the crimson mouth grinning obscenely in her stomach. Diana longed to free her mother and queen and tend to her wounds, but Klarion stood between them. The dark mystic was fuming. He touched his fingers and thumbs together to form a triangle below his chin and began to chant. His hands glowed with purple light, and Wonder Woman braced herself for the curse to strike.

But it never did.

Something shot from the shadows of the threshold, striking Klarion in the face and interrupting the hex. Klarion was thrown to the floor with a cry, blood spurting from his nose. Teekl turned toward her master, but someone leapt from the darkness and flipped her over his head. Wonder Woman wiped her face in time to see Batman pin the werecat's arm behind her back. Teekl's cry of outrage changed to a shriek of pain as Batman broke her arm. The werecat twisted out of his grasp and lunged for Batman, slashing across his bicep. Batman grunted and kicked Teekl in the side, knocking her back. Teekl back flipped a few times, putting distance between herself and the shadowy warrior.

"Diana, did you bring _another_ man to Themyscira?" Hippolyta yelled. Wonder Woman did not respond. Men may be taboo on Themyscira and she knew she would pay for this later, but right now Diana couldn't think of anyone she would rather have watching her back.

Wonder Woman was prepared to join the fight when a column of flame lashed across the entire room. Klarion stood just in front of Hippolyta, breathing fire like a dragon. Wonder Woman dove to avoid the blaze, but the damn boy whipped his burning deluge across her back and sent her tumbling to the ground. Wonder Woman raised her head and peered through the haze of blood in time to see Batman crouch above her head. He threw something at Klarion, catching the young sorcerer in the head. Gray foam exploded over Klarion, and the conflagration died with a muffled squeak of surprise. Teekl hissed and ran for them. Batman threw a pellet at her, which struck her squarely between the eyes, momentarily stunning her before releasing a cloud of smoke.

Thank you, Hera.

"That won't buy us much time," Batman said, hard voice void of emotion. He was all business. Wonder Woman tried to struggle up, but a gloved hand gripped her shoulder with enough force to break a man. He whipped out a strip of gauze and bound the cut on her forehead. Batman wiped two fingers across her face and eyes, clearing the blood from her vision. "Can you fight?" He demanded. Wonder Woman balled her fist.

"Watch me." She lashed out with all the force she could muster, fist hurtling toward Batman's skull. Teekl yowled as her fist whistled over Batman's shoulder and struck the werecat in head. Diana had expected Teekl's head to burst like a melon. Instead she was thrown across the room to slide to Klarion's feet.

"Teekl," Klarion cried like a frightened child. "How dare you hurt a defenseless pussy cat!" Batman hurled a Batarang in response. Klarion raised a purple shield in front of his face, and the metal blade clattered harmlessly to the stones. Batman and Wonder Woman ran in separate directions as he sprayed the spot where they had crouched with fire.

The next few minutes were a beautiful and dangerous dance as Wonder Woman and Batman bounded among the ruined citadel, avoiding flames and trying to land a blow on Klarion. They fought without speaking, a perfect team. Klarion began an incantation, and Batman threw a batarang at him, forcing Klarion to break off the spell to raise a shield. Wonder Woman hurled a boulder at him while he was distracted, and the evil little boy barely deflected it.

The fight wore on until Wonder Woman swung a column at Klarion, knowing her comrade would take advantage of the opportunity. Klarion covered his body in flames, and the column melted as it came into contact instead of crushing him. But it gave Batman a clear shot at the witch boy. The Cape Crusader swung from the ceiling to land on the column while it was it motion. He sprinted down the length of the stone until Klarion's scorching shield dissipated and threw a smoke bomb in his face. Klarion bent over, coughing; and Wonder Woman seized her chance, tossing aside the column. She launched herself at the witch-boy and slammed her fist into his gut. Klarion went airborne only to crash into her mother's throne. Wonder Woman flew to him and seized his collar in her fist, yanking him into the air.

"Heal my mother and sisters!" she yelled. Klarion made a choking sound and rasped a few garbled words. Diana heard her mother groan behind her. "Mother," she cried, racing to the queen's side. The vines were curling ever tighter around Hippolyta's limbs, slowly crushing her against the hard dais.

"Hera, give me strength," Wonder Woman prayed. She grabbed the vines, ignoring the thorns that ripped into her palms, and heaved as hard as she could. The vines retaliated, wrapping around her wrists and ankles. The vines could not penetrate her boots or bracelets, but they held her immobile. Klarion stood, wiping his mouth and grinning like the Joker.

"You're worse than Morgan Le Fay's rotten son," she grumbled.

"You stupid little girl, I make the rules of this game, and I say you cheated!" Klarion pouted. "Since you hurt Teekl first, it's only fair she gets to kill you." He clapped twice. "Teekl, dinner time." A viscous snarling made Wonder Woman stare up at her mother's throne, upon which Teekl crouched like an overgrown vulture. Wonder Woman braced herself as Teekl pounced. For the second time that night a black streak intercepted the attack.

Batman and Teekl rolled across the floor for about ten feet before he kicked her away. Teekl landed on her feet with perfect grace, seemingly healed from Wonder Woman's previous attack. Teekl lunged for Batman, claws reaching for his heart.

"Sit." Batman commanded. A red letter **M** glowed on Teekl's forehead. Teekl immediately sat down and demorphed into a normal tabby cat. "I though you would have corrected that spell by now." Batman said, turning toward Klarion. The witch boy gritted his teeth.

"I should have killed you before," he complained. "But Uncle Jason isn't here to save you this time." Klarion's hands began to glow, but Batman was in motion before he had finished speaking. He grabbed Klarion by the throat and slapped him. The sound echoed nicely in the large space.

"Let's have a little talk," he growled. Batman swept a few paces away, Klarion firmly in his grip. Diana strained to hear what Batman said, but his voice was so soft she caught only a scattering of muted syllables.

"Alright, alright, I'll fix it," Klarion relented after a few moments.

"What did he say?" Hippolyta asked.

"You don't want to know," Diana replied. Batman marched Klarion over to where Diana and her mother were bound to the floor. Klarion glared sullenly at Batman over his shoulder before muttering an incantation. The vines dissipated into harmless smoke.

"Ahem," Batman coughed. Klarion grumbled and held out his hand toward Hippolyta. Diana smiled, relief filling her as her mother's wounds were magically sealed, bloodstains evaporating like water. She looked up to thank Batman only to see he was already leading Klarion toward the door of the throne room. Diana pulled her mother up and helped her to the threshold in time to hear Klarion complaining.

"That kind of spell is gigantic, and I can't heal people who are dead anyway."

"But you can heal the living. And you will." Batman stated, deadpan voice brimming with authority. Klarion looked mutinous, but he dared not refuse under Batman's piercing gaze. The witch boy set his fingers in a triangle as he had before, and his hands shimmered with magic. Klarion began to chant, and Batman placed a muscular hand on his right shoulder, whether for encouragement or personal safety Diana couldn't tell. A bright purple light snaked its way from Klarion's triangle, branching out to touch, cover, and imbue every living Amazon. The light flared minutely before dying. Diana sent a silent prayer to the gods.

One by one, Amazons began to pick themselves up and stagger toward the throne room, the stronger half carrying the weaker. To her relief Diana saw that nearly everyone except Artemis had survived the ordeal. Diana released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Thank Hera," she breathed. Diana glanced to the side at Batman, his left hand still a vice on Klarion's shoulder. Maybe she should thank more than just the queen of the gods.

"There he is!"

"There is the boy who invaded our home!"

"No one can escape Amazonian justice."

"Look, a second man!"

"And Diana has returned."  
"Was she not banned for her crimes?"

Diana directed her attention to the ever-growing mob gathering at the palace steps. Most of the Amazons were shouting curses and insults at Klarion, but more than a few were starting to turn on Batman. Hippolyta stepped around Diana to stand at the top of the stairs.

"Today we were attacked by an evil foe," the queen began. "This sorcerer invaded our sacred home land. He attempted to torture me into telling him how to open the gates of Tarturus. Were it not for Diana's timely arrival, we would surely be dead and Lord Hades would be at large once more."

The Amazons below were not so easily appeased. Diana knew they would not be. She could catch only snatches of their mutterings from where she stood.

"The boy must die for his crimes."

"I hope I may be the one to carry out the execution."

"This is the second time Diana brought a man to Themyscira."

"I can smell his musk from here, like the foul gas of a swamp."

"That one received laurels last time."

"Perhaps I should cut off the offense from the offender."

Diana glanced at Batman, unsure whether or not she could protect him. Batman's face remained blank, but his cape had settled around him, hiding any weapon he might be drawing in his right hand. Diana balled her fists, gathering her courage to defend him.

"As you all know, my daughter Diana was banished from Themyscira for breaking out most sacred law and bringing men to the island," Hippolyta continued, raising her voice marginally to silence the crowd. "She has come to fight in our time of need twice now and brought a man to the island each time. As a mother I am overjoyed to have her returned home to us." Hippolyta paused, and Diana sensed how much it was hurting her mother to do this a second time. Diana tried to brace herself for the terrible words, for there could be only punishment a queen could bestow upon one who had broken the laws she had.

"Diana didn't bring me here," Batman interrupted. Hippolyta blinked as though she had forgotten he was still here. The assembled Amazons began to jeer, enraged that a man dared to interrupt the queen. But they grew quieter as Batman continued, his voice calm and soft.

"I detected a powerful magical presence on your island," Batman said. "A received a tip from an old friend that it may have been caused by Klarion, the witch boy who stands before you." Batman shook Klarion very slightly. The witch boy glared daggers at him but did not speak. "I informed Diana of the situation, and she made the decision to protect her sisters and homeland no matter what the punishment she might receive." Diana stared at Batman, wondering how he knew her so well. She hadn't thought much about it at the time, but he was right: she was ready to protect her birthplace and the women who lived here, even if it meant execution.

"Then why did you come here, man?" asked Hippolyta. "You came here once before in our time of need, and for that I thank you. But you were also warned that men are not allowed on Themyscira."

"I had fought Klarion once before," Batman said. "I had a duty to come and interrogate him myself, discover why he was here. And I do not leave a friend or teammate in a battle without reinforcements." Diana felt a tug on her heart at his loyalty. Batman kept his head high, cowl covered eyes meeting the gaze of Hippolyta squarely. Hippolyta hesitated before her eyes hardened with resolve.

"Then on behalf of the Amazons I thank you for your courage and aid. Both of you," she added with a smile at Diana. Diana blinked, surprised, and smiled back.

"Yes, well, if we're quite done now—" Klarion said, trying to walk away. Batman yanked him back into place, and the Amazons refocused on the witch boy.

"I don't need to tell you what the punishment is for such crimes against Themyscira," Hippolyta said the assembled Amazons. The warriors of Paradise Island began to cheer and wave their weapons.

"DEATH. DEATH. DEATH." They cried. A single, hard, quiet voice cut through the sum total of the entire population of Themyscira.

"No."

The Amazons turned to Batman, mutters of confusion rippling through their ranks.

"If you kill him then you're no better than he is." Batman said. The Amazons began screaming in fury, but he rolled over their calls for blood. "Besides, I need to interrogate him once I have less pressing concerns."

"Batman, what are you talking about?" Diana asked. He turned to face her, expression controlled so that she could not even glean what he might feel. "The situation in Gotham right now is precarious. It requires my immediate attention. But this doesn't fit Klarion's MO. He usually buys or steals magical artifacts and uses them to take over other, more powerful creatures to do his bidding. Klarion is a child concerned with the riches of children: cake, ice cream, movies, and such. Invading a heavily garrisoned island to free a magical being he has no hope of controlling isn't like him. Someone else is pulling the strings. I will interrogate Klarion properly once Gotham has stabilized a bit."

"And you would have us leave him unpunished?" countered Hippolyta.

"No, I just have a better punishment." Batman said. "Teekl." The cat trotted up, glaring daggers at Batman. "Up." Batman pointed to Klarion's shoulders. Teekl leapt into Klarion's arms. Batman stared at the two for a moment before extending one hand toward them.

"Mother's grief, father's shame, soon he goes to whence he came." Batman intoned. Klarion and Teekl glowed purple and vanished. Hippolyta took a step back, and the other Amazons muttered nervously.

"You know magic?" Diana asked incredulously.

"Just the one spell," Batman replied. "I had Etrigan teach me on the way here. Don't expect me to learn a second."

"What did your spell do to him?" Hippolyta asked.

"I sent him to his room." Batman replied. "A magical prison within Jason Blood's crystal ball. Jason is expecting him. Klarion won't be going anywhere for a very, very long time." Diana imagined Klarion trying to fight his way past the demon Etrigan and smiled.

"In that case I believe a celebration is in order, with you two as the guests of honor." Hippolyta said.

"But I am banished from Themyscira," Diana gasped.

"I'm your mother. If the gods don't like it, they can take it up with me." Hippolyta declared. The gathered women cheered, waving their spears and swords in the air. It was remarkable how similar their celebration cheers were to their war cries. Batman placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Congratulations Diana, but I can't stay," Batman said. "The fight may be over for now on Themyscira, but I have my own battles to fight in Gotham." Before Diana could respond he had fired a grappling hook at a nearby temple and was swooping over the Amazons. Diana flew after him, managing to catch Batman right as he reached his ship, which he had landed a few hundred yards from the throne room. She opened her mouth to thank him for helping her and to ask him to stay when she noticed a series of slashes in his chest.

"What happened?" She gasped. Diana didn't understand how in Hades she had missed them before. Each diagonal slash was at least two feet long and bleeding profusely.

"Klarion's familiar got me toward the end of the battle when I tackled her," he responded curtly. Batman tired to board his inky plane, but Diana pulled him back down.

"You need to get that treated now," she insisted. "I'll get a healer, and you can rest on the island for a few hours before you go home."

"Gotham needs me, Diana," he told her, a touch of anger creeping into his voice. "My city is in trouble. I have first aid supplies on board; I can treat myself until I arrive back at the cave." Diana was tempted to try and reason with him. She was a little tempted to tell him outright that she was worried about him. But she had been saved by this man twice today, and just when her mother granted her a miracle by allowing her to celebrate a victory with her sisters and her closest…friend, he decided to leave and chase down some hoodlum in Gotham. So she chose a different approach.

"Batman, don't be ridiculous. I'm not letting you leave here without proper care." She told him in her best commanding voice. Diana grabbed his arm to emphasize her point. The world flipped upside down, and Diana found herself flying into the sand. She picked herself up and turned around to see Batman's jet already racing off into the night sky. As Diana stood there, staring at the stars and wrestling with a jumble of emotions, none of which she welcomed, a hand descended on her shoulder. Diana turned to see her mother standing behind her, expression sympathetic.

"Come, my little sun and stars," she said gently. "We must talk."

Next time there will be more Batman, but for now it's primarily Diana's story. Stay tuned for more Justice League heart throbbing.


End file.
